Hope
by Nixor123
Summary: Hope dies last, right? But what if you start to lose even that? (Really bad at summaries)


**AN: I do not own anything, duuuuh**

 **So this is for round 10 of QLFC**

 **I was given a song and told to interpret it as I wanted**

 **So I did**

 **Song: Theme From 'A Summer Place' — Percy Faith**

 **Optional prompts:**

 **Object - ring**

 **Restriction - no character names**

* * *

She walked through the hallway, looking at the pictures on the wall. She couldn't believe she is even going to miss them. Then again, she never thought she was going to miss Grimmauld Place in general, either. It was always dark, dusty and gloomy, but she still felt a connection to it. Maybe it was because it was her ancestral home, and maybe, and more probably now that she thinks about it, it's because, over the last two years, she has made so many memories here.

"You nearly done up there?" she heard him calling from downstairs. "Make sure you check everything. We don't want anything important being left behind."

"I'll be done soon," she replied. She entered a bedroom and started going through it. The Order was moving its headquarters to the Burrow, and the two of them got tasked with making sure nothing important got left behind or was missing.

As she walked from room to room, she observed every picture and tapestry. Most of them were pictures of her ancestors, although she did recognize some familiar faces on some of them. Her mother and aunts, as children, hugging each other. They looked so happy. She felt a chill run up her spine when she remembered what one of the aunts ended up becoming. And the next picture just reminded her more of it.

It was their entire family, on what she assumed was Christmas, based on the decorations in the background. And there, in the center, was him. The man she admired so much. Her second cousin, even though she felt as if he were her brother sometimes. A man she even had a crush on for a while, not that she would ever admit it. Now, he was gone, killed by his cousin in the Battle of Ministry.

She felt a slight _pang_ around her heart. That was still painful for her to remember. She took a deep breath and headed downstairs.

She found him in the kitchen. He was sitting at the table, drinking what looked like Whiskey. As she sat beside him, he offered her a glass. She took it and brought it to her lips, taking a sip. She felt a bitter, burning sensation going down her throat, and it was just what she needed to calm her.

"All clear?" he asked, looking at her as if he was examining her.

"Umm, yeah. All rooms are empty."

He continued looking at her. It seemed like he was going to say something, but stopped himself. She understood. With everything that had been happening lately, it was hard to find time to simply talk. And even if they had time, what would they talk about? So they sat there in silence.

She looked at him. Recent years have really taken their toll. His hair now had even more, grey than before, and his face looked thinner than ever. She suspected it might be his transformation—even with the potion, she knew it was taxing. Every full moon she worried more and more about his health. But his eyes were the one thing that did not change. The one thing that still remained as warm and as caring as ever. The eyes she fell in love with.

"You look tired. If you want you can go and rest, I can finish here," he offered.

She smiled. He was always looking out for her.

"No, I'm good. It's just… the nostalgia, I guess. In a strange way, I'm gonna miss this place."

"Me too. But, we will return here once again. Once all of this is over."

"Will it ever be over, though?" she asked. It was the question she has been asking herself more and more recently.

He sat silent for a while before getting up and walking to the Wireless sitting in the corner. She watched him as he turned it on and then searched for a station. Suddenly a familiar tune filled the room. One of her favorite Muggle songs. The theme from 'A Summer Place'. She smiled at him as memories filled her. That was the first Muggle movie they went to see together.

He held out his hand to her, inviting her to dance. She smiled again. He did always know how to cheer her up. She took his hand and they began a slow dance as the music echoed through the large house.

She thought of everything that had happened over the last few years. First, the Triwizard Tournament and the return of You-Know-Who. Then there was the battle at the Ministry and now, the battle at the Astronomy tower and the death of possibly the greatest man she'd ever known. She lifted her gaze and saw that he was looking directly into her eyes.

"Thinking about everything that's happened recently?"

He always did see right through her.

"Just wondering if this will ever end. If we could ever just live a normal life again."

"Well, we are wizards, so I doubt we'll ever have normal lives."

She smiled, but then noticed that he also looked troubled. She brought one hand up to his face and gently stroked his cheek.

"Are you okay?" she asked softly. "You know that you do not have to pretend for me."

He placed his hand over hers."I'm quite fine. I was just thinking."

He went silent for a while, clearly thinking about something as they slowly danced.

"I… I have been thinking. And I wanted to ask you something."

She frowned. It sounded serious. He withdrew his arms and put one hand in his pocket, searching for something. He pulled out a small black box and opened it.

She felt herself blush, and knew her hair was changing colors, something that happened whenever she was excited. There, nestled in the tiny box, was a ring. It was silver with engraved patterns around it. She look at him, eyes wide in anticipation of what he was about to say.

He cleared his throat."If and when this ends, I want us to be happy. I want you to be happy. So I wanted to ask y—"

"Yes." She cut him off before he could finish. He did not need to. She understood completely what he wanted to say. "Yes, I do."

He stared at her, startled, before smiling and slowly putting the ring on her finger. He placed his fingers gently under her chin, tipping her head slightly so he could lower his lips to hers.

She returned his kiss, happiness overwhelming her. She knew that they would get through this. She knew that they would be happy, as long as they had each other.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading.**

 **See you next time**


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